Mobile retail search traffic quadruples
The number of consumers searching for retail information on their mobiles quadrupled in the three months to June, according to figures from the British Retail Consortium and Google.
Mobile search volumes for retail in the period were up 216% year on year, boosting total retail search volumes up 27%.
Growth in retail search was also driven by searches for pure online retailers, which were up 21% year on year, outgrowing searches for multi-channel retailers, which increased 14% in the second quarter.
UK consumers were increasingly searching for overseas retailers, with volume up 76% compared to the previous year. The number of overseas consumers searching for UK retailers grew 34% year on year.
Stephen Robertson, director general of the British Retail Consortium, says the “star performer” for online retail is the growth of mobile.
“Consumers are always looking for more convenient ways to shop. Retailers are making m-commerce easier all the time by offering mobile optimised websites, apps and transactional mobile platforms,” he adds.
Sainsbury’s is the latest retailer to offer a new transactional mobile site.
Peter Fitzgerald, Google retail director, says: “Quarter two was an interesting quarter for retail searches online. Volumes were down in April as the warm weather and bank holidays took their toll, but picked up again in May with the return of cooler weather.”
The Online Retail Monitor report measures the growth of online retail searches by counting retail-related search terms entered into Google.
Regional search share for three months to June 2011
| Region | Share of total search Q2 2011 |
| London | 36% |
| North England | 22% |
| Midlands | 16% |
| South England | 14% |
| Scotland | 9% |
| Wales | 3% |
| Northern Ireland | 0.3% |
